To Grieve
by GreatWolfSpirit
Summary: AU of the last three endings, basically. After the fall of YoRHa and losing 2B, 9S has to cope with being alone in the world. Perhaps, though, he's not as alone as he feels. In which 9S is babied a bit because he is my precious son and I think he really needs it.
1. Uneasy Alliance

To Gri[e]ve

Chapter One: Uneasy Alliance

Looking back on it, 9S wouldn't ever be able to tell if it was the piercing mechanical shrieks or the acrid smell of smoke and oil that reached him first, or if they both hit him at the same time. Perhaps it had been the screams hit him first, after all, and pulled him from the haze of mental static he'd been stuck in since losing 2B. Perhaps that was what allowed him to pick up the smell of the smoke in the first place.

All 9S knew was that, as soon as he realized that the horrifying sounds and smells where coming from Pascal's village, he was sprinting as fast as his legs could possibly carry him towards the village. _'Not Pacal! I can't lose anyone else!'_ The sight that greeted him was one that would haunt him for the rest of his life. The once peaceful Machines were attacking and eating each other while the victims were helpless to protect themselves while stuck on their backs. Fire raged everywhere and the air was full of smoke, cinders, and pained cries.

Motion from the corner of his eye and shouts drew his attention to a skirmish going on nearby. His breath caught when he realized who it was. _'A2...'_ It was the first time he'd seem her in months now. The first time he'd seen her since that day on the bridge when his partner was suddenly and cruelly ripped away from him at her hands. He drew his sword quickly and charged at her with a roar. "A2!"

The other android whipped to face him, startled at his sudden appearance. She quickly lifted her blade to block his own as he swung at her. "9S?! 9S, stop! Now's not the time for this!"

9S was deaf to her shouts and blind to his surroundings aside from her as he lunged again, slashing with his sword and attempting to hack into her systems. All surrounding noise had blended into one constant hum of static and his vision was stained red as he attacked relentlessly.

A2 was helpless to do anything more than block and dodge his attacks while trying to fend off Machines that tried to attack them as well. Once she got an opening, she swung the hilt of her sword and hit 9S hard in the head before kicking him away. She lunged at him and pinned him to the ground. "Listen to me! We're in the middle of a massacre here! Snap out of it!"

9S struggled to throw her off and snarled at her. "You killed 2B! You took her from me and you're going to pay! I'll kill you!"

A2 pinned him more firmly and gave him a light shake. "Now is NOT the time! We can settle that later, but right now Pascal's in trouble and he needs us!"

The name of his friend broke through the fury that had possessed him and brought him back to his senses. "P... Pascal... The village!" He looked around to get his bearings back. "Wh... What the hell is going on?!"

A2 watched him warily for a moment before slowly getting up and helping him to his feet. "Dunno. We can figure that out later. Right now, we need to deal with these berserk Machines and find Pascal."

9S nodded numbly in agreement and launched himself at the nearest group of cannibal Machines and started taking them out while A2 went for the next nearest group. It took several minutes, but they finally managed to clear the village. Once they'd dealt with the cannibals and put out the fires, they both made frantic attempts to contact Pascal after they were both unable to find him. They finally got a hold of him after several more panic-filled minutes. "Oh, A2! And is that 9S? How's the village? How are my people...?"

9S frowned. "I'm sorry, Pascal... They... They're gone..."

Pascal wrung his hands quietly. "Oh... I see..."

A2 chimed in. "Hey, are you safe? Where are you?"

"Yes, I'm safe. I managed to get myself and children to safety. We're at the Abandoned Factory. It's been empty for awhile now and we've been using it for storage so it's quite safe."

9S gave a nod. "Alright, we're on our way there. Just hang tight." He hung up the call and hurried out to the Factory with A2.

It was A2 who spoke up first as they made the journey there. "Look... I know you don't like me, and you have every reason not to, but I think we need to call a truce, at least until we can figure out what the hell happened back there. Right now, Pascal needs us and fighting each other isn't going to help him"

9S managed to hide his surprise as he responded. "Yeah... Alright, fine... But only for Pascal's sake. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to him because of my personal grudge, and... 2B... 2B wouldn't either..." He looked away from her and chewed on his lip as he tried to fight down the pain threatening to overwhelm him at the mere mention of 2B's name.

A2 pretended not to notice as she nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you guys were both friends with him right? She... She'd probably want you to help him out..."

9S bit back the snappy retort he initially wanted to respond with and instead asked her, "What about you then? Why are you helping him? I thought you hated Machines too..."

The other android shrugged. "He helped me out when I was in a bind. I suppose we were technically even since I'd saved him from some other Machines that had been attacking him before that, Still... I couldn't just **not** help when he called me..."

The scanner could only nod silently as he processed her words. She'd always been a mystery to him, ever since he and 2B had first run into her in the Forest Kingdom. He'd never really been able to get much data on her since anyone he asked was either unwilling to answer or didn't know much about her.

The pair arrived at the Factory moments later and were met by Pascal as they entered the room he and the children had holed up in. 9S was sure that if his face could express emotions, the friendly Machine would have been smiling at them as he greeted them, despite the situation they were all caught up in. "9S! It's been quite awhile! And A2, welcome! I'm so glad you're both safe!"

9S couldn't help but give him a small smile. "Hey, Pascal. It has been awhile huh? Is everyone okay here?"

Pascal nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes! Thankfully, we're all unharmed. We owe the both of you our lives."

A2 stepped forward. "That's very good to hear, but what in hell's name happened back there? What was with those crazy Machines?"

Pascal shook his head with a sigh as he shrugged. "I'm afraid I don't know... Everything was just fine and normal one moment and then the next... some of the villagers went berserk and started attacking their friends... But I don't know why..." He hugged himself with a shudder.

9S gently patted his shoulder to try and comfort him. "It'll be okay. We'll look into it later and see if we can figure out why that happened so we can try to stop it from happening again. Right now, though, we need to make sure this place is safe before we can rest on our laurels."

Pod 153 and Pod 042 both suddenly chimed in together. "Alert: Multiple enemies approaching current location!"

A2 spun on her heel and quickly headed for the door. "Then we'll just cut 'em off before they can reach the door. Let's go, 9S."

9S quickly nodded and followed after her. "We'll take care of this, Pascal. You stay in here with the children and try to keep them calm."

Pascal gave a nod and waved to them. "Okay. Good luck and be careful!"

9S waved back as he slipped out the door after A2 and closed it behind them. He paused and glanced at her curiously when she held out a sword in front of him. A jolt of shock shot through him when he recognized it and he moved slowly to take it from her, holding it reverently. "Th... This... This is..."

"It's 2B's sword... She... She left her memories in it... or something... somehow... Anyway, I... I think she'd want you to have it..."

The scanner hugged the sword close to him as he trembled. "Then why...? Why...? Why'd you kill her?! Why'd you have to take her away from me?!"

A2 flinched and sighed as she glanced over at him. "It wasn't by choice... She was infected with a logic virus..."

"Then why didn't she just come to me?! I could have gotten rid of it!"

"She was too far gone for that. Even if you could have gotten rid of the virus and cured her, you would've been infected yourself. I think she knew that and was trying to protect you..."

9S bit his lip as he choked on sobs. "She was all I had... Now she's gone... You took her away from me... I... I didn't even... get to say goodbye..."

A2 tentatively laid a hand on his shoulder, hoping to offer some sort of comfort. "That would've only made dealing with losing her that much harder for you... I think she knew that too..." She glanced at the horizon as she rubbed his shoulder soothingly for a moment before giving him a light nudge. "Now focus, Kid. They're here..."

9S tensed as the sounds of the approaching Machines grew louder. He quickly scrubbed the tears from his eyes before slipping into a battle stance, brandishing 2B's sword. _'2B... I really hope you can hear me... I need you... I need your strength... Please... Help me get through this... For Pascal and those children...'_ He tightened his grip on the sword as he charged at the nearest Machine with a shout. A2 joined in right behind him, the pair slicing furiously at any Machine that came within reach of their blades. The Pods circled protectively around them and constantly sprayed the Machines with bullets and lasers. Eventually, 9S started hacking into the Machines to help speed the battle up while A2 and the Pods watched his back.

A loud droning noise and a rumbling in the ground caught them off guard and threw them for a loop, however, which caused them to freeze and stare as a large swarm of airborne Machines approached them, flanked by a giant Goliath class Machine.

A2 gaped as she watched them get closer. "Wh... What the hell?! How're we supposed to beat all those?!"

9S grit his teeth and looked around frantically as he tried to think up some sort of plan. "Um... Let me think here..." He suddenly noticed another, deactivated Goliath nearby and got an idea. "I think I know what to do! Watch my back and buy me some time!"

He quickly worked on hacking into the Goliath and activating it while A2 and the Pods continued to fight. The gigantic Machine soon started to creak and groan as it slowly began to move. Though it was heavy and unwieldy, 9S managed to use it to fend the seemingly endless horde of hostile Machines, swatting them away like bugs, before turning his attention to the Goliath that followed them.

The two giant Machines exchanged several slow, heavy blows with each other before the hostile Goliath managed to knock the one 9S had hacked into off of its feet. Not allowing himself any time to panic at the loss, he quickly hacked into the other Goliath.

The large hacking space was full of obstacles that 9S was quick to confront. Various shooters were brought down by his own and he took out the columns that were keeping up the barrier around the core. After several minutes of grappling with each other in cyberspace, the Goliath deactivated and collapsed into the ocean, sending up a large spray of water that also nearly deafened them with its loudness.

After the Machines were dealt with, 9S and A2 hurried back inside to check on their friends. Pascal stepped forward to meet them as the children dashed up to them and crowded around them, clumsily hugging them and chirping their thanks. "Welcome back! I'm very glad you're both safe!"

9S gently gave the small Machines around him affectionate pats on their heads as he nodded gratefully to Pascal. "Thank you. We're just glad we could help. Say, why don't you and the children come back to the Resistance Camp with us? It's probably the safest place for you right now and they already know you so they shouldn't have a problem with it."

A2 nodded in agreement. "Yeah, the kid's right. Safety in numbers and all that. We're all better off in a group. Especially with the virus spreading like it is."

Pascal mulled the idea over for a few moments before giving a nod. "Alright, we'll go with you. Hopefully they have enough space to accommodate us..."

9S chuckled with a small smile. "Oh I'm sure they can figure something out."

A2 spun and headed for the door. "C'mon then. Let's move while we still have some daylight left. I ain't spending the night in this creepy old place."

9S nodded and waved Pascal and the children on ahead of him, bringing up the rear while A2 led the way back to the Resistance Camp. It took them a couple of hours because the two androids had to slow their pace in order to avoid leaving their Machine friends in the dust. They also had to fend off hostile Machines along the way.

Anemone greeted them when they finally arrived at the camp. "9S! A2! It's good to see you both back in one piece! And welcome back again, Pascal! I see you brought some of your villagers with you this time."

The children dragged A2 off to play, heedless of her protests, while 9S and Pascal filled Anemone in on what had happened. She listened with a frown and glanced over to where the children were playing as she crossed her arms and spoke softly. "So this is all that's left then...?"

9S nodded quietly. "Yeah... Pascal managed to get himself and the kids to safety, but the others didn't make it..."

Anemone sighed heavily and clapped a hand onto Pascal's shoulder. "I'm so sorry... We'll do everything we can to help you and, of course, you're more than welcome to stay with us here. We'll see what we can do about getting you guys set up with your own private space."

Pascal patted her hand gratefully and nodded. "Alright, thank you. I really appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it. It's the least we can do after everything you and your village have done to help us."

After Anemone went to make arrangements, 9S and Pascal sat nearby and watched the children contently. Pascal turned to 9S after a moment. "I never had the chance to ask before... Where's 2B? I thought you two were always together."

9S clenched his fists in his lap and turned away to hide his frown as he answered quietly. "Gone... She's... gone..."

Pascal stiffened and blinked in shock before sighing shakily. "Oh... Oh no... I'm so sorry... I didn't know..."

"You couldn't have known and it wasn't your doing, Pascal... You have nothing to apologize for... She... A2 said she was infected by the logic virus... A2... She... killed her... I saw it... She killed her before I could stop her..."

Pascal gently patted his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "And you still worked with her to save us... 2B would be very proud of you... Overcoming something like that would be very difficult, I think..."

9S laid a hand on top of Pascal's on his shoulder quietly and squeezed it lightly. "Yeah, well... She'd never forgive me if I let something happen to you just because I was holding a grudge against her when she was trying to help you..."

The two sat there quietly for several minutes, squeezing each others hand and drawing comfort from each others company, before Pascal lightly nudged 9S. "You should probably go and get some maintenance done..."

9S nodded and gave Pascal's hand a final squeeze before he stood, stretching his stiffened muscles. "Yeah, I probably should... Hey, Pascal...?"

Pascal blinked up at him curiously. "Yes, 9S? What is it?"

"Thank you..." He gave his friend a small, grateful smile before limping over to where Devola and Popola were sitting.

Popola took one brief glance at him before ushering him over to a cot and coaxing him into lying down on it. "Here, 9S. Lay down here and we'll get you fixed back up, good as new, in no time." After getting him settled down, she put 9S into his maintenance mode and quickly got to work as her twin jumped in to help out.

Stuck in maintenance mode, there wasn't anything else for 9S to do but listen to Devola and Popola chatter to each other while they worked and to get lost in his own thoughts. As hard as he tried to avoid it, they kept drifting to 2B and the time they spent together.

He remembered all of the tasks and missions they worked on together, all the searching they did and the enemies they fought together. While he'd said all the running around was a pain, he cherished any and every second he'd spent with his partner. He'd gladly run fetch errands for the rest of eternity if he could only have stayed by her side. Along with the missions, he remembered the rare quiet moments they spent together too. All the times they fished together, 2B actually bursting into a full-on fit of laughter when he went to startle a moose just to see how it would react and ended up getting chased up a tree by it, all the times they'd just sit and talk or just in companionable silence and admire the scenery together for hours. There were also a handful of times that they stargazed together. 9S would point out all the constellations he could find and tell the stories behind them while 2B would listen contently and trace out the constellations with him. They'd even seen a meteor shower one time and had been absolutely awestruck by it.

 _'There was so much more that I could've shown her... There was so much left for us to explore together... With YoRHa gone... we would've been free... We could've gone anywhere we wanted... seen anything we wanted... whenever we liked... I'll... never get to hear her laugh or see her smile at me again...'_

Devola paused her work and lightly wiped away the tears leaking from 9S's eyes in a rare show of tenderness, something usually reserved for her sister. "Must be thinking about 2B..."

Popola rubbed a few soothing circles on 9S's shoulder as she nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he probably is... Poor thing... I'm sure he's really missing her... They were really close..."

A2 wandered over to the group and pulled up a chair, watching the twins work on the scanner. "How's he doing?"

Popola gave her a smile in greeting. "Hey, A2. He's doing just fine. He didn't get too banged up, thankfully, so repairs are going smoothly. We're actually just about done here, I think."

A2 sighed in relief and nodded in approval. "Good. That's good news. About time we had some of that..."

9S was brought out of maintenance mode shortly after, and he stretched with a yawn before sitting up. "Thanks, guys..."

Popola nodded happily with a warm smile. "Anytime. You should go and get some rest. It's getting late. Don't push yourself too hard okay?"

The scanner nodded quietly and stood up. "Yeah... Okay..." A2 and the twin healers watched, frowning in concern, as 9S shuffled off silently to the room Anemone had given to him and 2B when they'd first arrived.

A2 was tempted to follow him to make sure he was okay, but she figured that he would probably want some space and privacy. She didn't want to intrude or give him more reason to be angry with her so she decided to leave him be for now and just check on him later on.

9S grabbed 2B's old pillow from her bed and crawled into his own bed, curling around the pillow and burying his face into it with a shaky sigh. His throat ached and his lungs burned as he fought back his tears. Pod 153 hovered anxiously over him. "Alert: Unit 9S is experiencing severe emotional distress..."

A half-sob half-chuckle escaped the scanner as he wiped his cheeks. "Thanks, Pod... I know I am... It's fine..." He gave his Pod a light, affectionate pat on its hull and curled up tighter around the pillow he was hugging.

Pod 153 continued to hover over him protectively and watched him worriedly. "Query: Would hearing the voice of Unit 2B help settle your emotional state?"

9S glanced up at his Pod, curious despite himself. "You... Do you have recordings of her voice?"

"Affirmative. Shall I commence playback?"

"... Yes, please... Maybe it would help..." The scanner buried his face into 2B's pillow again and breathed in deeply, trying to pick up her scent, as Pod 153 started playing recordings of 2B speaking. The Pod made sure the recordings contained only light, pleasant topics so that they wouldn't upset her charge any further. After a few moments, a soft, pulsing humming sound played in the background along with the voice recordings. 9S looked up in surprise as he instantly recognized the sound. "That's... You have a recording of her Black Box too...?"

"Affirmative."

"... Thanks for doing this for me, Pod..." He curled back up around the pillow and buried his face back into it as he listened silently.

"... Affirmative..."

Several minutes later, 9S slowly started to drift off into sleep mode. Once he was asleep, Pod 153 tugged off his boots and pulled the blankets up over his head before lightly patting his head. "Goodnight, 9S..." The recordings stopped as she fell into a light version of sleep mode.


	2. Nightmares

Chapter 2: Nightmares

9S sprinted as fast as his legs could possibly carry him, forcing himself to ignore the painful burning that raged through his legs and lungs. "2B... 2B!" He froze in shock and horror when he saw her run through with her own sword, smiling at him even as the life drained from her.

"Oh... Nines..."

Pod 153 jolted in startled shock when 9S bolted upright with a scream. She hovered in front of the shaken scanner as he panted for breath and curled in on himself, clutching his hair with violently trembling hands. Unsure of what to do for him, she gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "Query: Did unit 9S experience a nightmare?"

9S sighed shakily and wiped his cheeks with a sniffle as he nodded. "Y... Yeah... I think I'm okay, though... Sorry, Pod... I didn't mean to wake you..."

She gave his hair an affectionate ruffle and coaxed him to lay back down gently. "Negative. This Pod's primary directive is to provide support for unit 9S. I'm merely fulfilling my assigned mission."

9S chuckled shakily and gave her an affectionate pat as she tugged the blankets back up over him. "Thanks, Pod... I dunno what I'd ever do without you..."

"Hypothesis: Unit 9S would most likely be in the care of another Tactical Support Unit without the presence of this one."

9S snickered and curled up around 2B's pillow, clutching it tightly as he yawned. "Hey, Pod... Can you play those recording of 2B again..."

Pod 153 settled on the bed next to him and pulled up the recordings of 2B's voice and Black Box, playing them. "Affirmative."

9S relaxed into the bed and closed his eyes, letting the warm weight of his Pod and the soothing sounds of the recordings wash over him as he drifted back into sleep mode.

He'd just fallen asleep when A2 poked her head in to see how he was doing. When she saw that he was asleep, she slipped into the room silently and pulled a chair up next to his bed, settling into it. Pod 042 drifted in behind her and settled next to Pod 153, careful not to disturb the sleeping scanner. The two Pods greeted each other and exchanged data while A2 watched over 9S, keeping an eye out for any signs of distress that signaled a bad dream.

It was a soft whimper that roused A2 from the light doze she'd fallen into. She immediately glanced over at 9S and saw him curled into a tight ball, twitching and grasping at the air as he grimaced in his sleep and whimpered again. While reluctant to wake him from what she was sure was badly sleep, A2 couldn't bring herself to leave him stuck in a nightmare. She lightly nudged his shoulder, trying to wake him up as gently as possible. "9S... Hey, Kid... It's time to wake up."

He jerked with a gasp as his dream, along with A2's coaxing, startled him into wakefulness. "H... Huh...? Wha...?" He yawned widely and blinked up at A2, exhaustion still muddling his processors and making them slow to function. "A... A2...? What's going on?"

A2 gave a light sigh of relief. "Good, you're awake... It's no big deal, Kid. You were just having a nightmare so I was trying to wake you up from it."

"A nightmare huh..? I don't really remember even dreaming at all...It's all fuzzy... I wouldn't be surprised, though, since I had one earlier... Thanks, A2."

She nodded and gave him a light pat on the shoulder. "Sure thing, Kid. I've had more than my fair share of nightmares myself so I know all too well how unpleasant they are."

9S tilted his head curiously as he stared up at her thoughtfully. "Hey... Why are you being so nice to me...?"

"I suppose I can understand why that would confuse you, considering out history and all... Simply put: with YoRHa gone, there's no reason for you to hunt me down and therefore no reason for me to fight with you. Besides... 2B asked me to take care of you... and I'm not the type to just ignore someone's last request to me..."

"But even after I attacked you like that back in Pascal's village...? I never gave you the chance to explain... I tried to kill you... I was horrible to you... I... I guess I owe you an apology for all that huh...?"

"Forget about it. I have. You're hurt and grieving, and you're not always going to be thinking straight or making the best decisions because of it. Besides, you mellowed out after I did explain what happened."

9S watched her curiously. "So... Does... Does that mean you're going to be sticking around then?"

"You know it. Listen, Kid... I know it's hard right now... Everything's different and scary and everything hurts... But you're not alone okay...? You have a lot of friends that love you and want to take care of you... Friends who need you as much as you need them... So don't go doing anything stupid, ya hear? 2B would never forgive either of us..."

9S nodded quietly. "Yeah... I know she wouldn't... I won't do anything stupid... Thanks, A2... I... I really needed to hear that..."

A2 smirked and gave his shoulder a light punch. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't go tellin' anyone that I got all sappy." She stood and stretched. "Well, I think that's enough mushy talk. You should try and get some more rest if you feel up to it."

9S stood up as well, stretching with a yawn. "Maybe later... Right now I need to clear my head... I think I'll take a walk."

"If you say so, Kid. Want company?"

"Yeah, sure. Thanks..."

"Don't mention it. You lead the way. I have no clue where you were wanting to go so I'll just follow you."

The two androids left the room with the Pods trailing behind them. 9S just let his feet carry him as he wandered around, not really having any particular destination in mind. A2 was content to tag alongside him as he meandered. The early morning silence was only disturbed by the footsteps and the occasional bird-call or braying of nearby moose, to whom they gave a wide berth. The dim lighting and thin layer of fog hanging in the air made everything feel tranquil and cozy.

They wandered through the City Ruins just outside the camp, weaving their way through the docile Machines that seemed content to leave them alone, peering at them curiously with their yellow eyes. They saw several animals while they were out as well, all of which 9S fawned over and studied eagerly. There were many birds, mice, and fish in the area aside from the plentiful giant moose and boars that roamed around. They even stumbled upon a warren of rabbits that 9S had to force himself not to touch, even though he desperately wanted to pet and cuddle them. He stopped himself because he'd read about them from human records and knew they were very easily frightened, quite literally, to death. The last thing he wanted to do was give them a heart attack, so he'd merely laid on the ground nearby and watched them. He'd been absolutely delighted when some of the more adventurous ones ambled up to investigate him, curious about the strange, large creature in their domain.

9S and A2 wandered back into camp a few hours after they'd left and were immediately swarmed by the children from Pascal's village who all wanted to play. Even Pascal himself joined in, and the group spent the next couple hours playing games of tag and hide-and-seek throughout the camp until Pascal gently coaxed the children back to their studies.

9S waved to them as they left before he turned to A2. "Hey, A2...? Thanks for spending all that time with me... I really needed that..."

A2 glanced at him and shrugged. "Don't mention it, Kid. Like I've said, I kinda know what you're going through... and I wish I'd had someone there for me..."

"Ya know... If... If you ever need someone to talk to about... whatever it was that happened... I'm happy to listen..."

"... I'll keep that in mind... Thanks..."

9S shook his head with a tiny smile. "It's the least I can do."

After A2 left to go practice with her sword, 9S decided to head down to Emil's underground garden of Lunar Tears. He sat amongst the glowing white flowers and drew 2B's sword, holding it reverently in his lap and caressing it. "I... I really wish you were here, 2B... I don't know what to do now... I know I'm not, but... I... I feel so... alone... so... lost..." He curled up and clung to the sword, his throat, eyes, and lungs burning as he fought back tears. He wasn't even aware of how long he'd been down there until A2 walked over to him.

She crouched next to him and looked him over. "You look like hell, Kid. You've been gone for hours... Have you been down here by yourself this whole time...?" When he nodded silently, she sighed and picked up gently, grabbing the sword and cradling him close as she headed back to the elevator.

He squirmed a bit when she'd first picked him up, not quite sure how to feel about it since 2B had been the only other person to ever really hold him in any way, before his need for contact and comfort won out and he settled in her arms, curling into her with a shaky sigh. He clung to her as she carried him into his room and laid him on his bed gently. She tugged his boots and visor off and slipped his pack from over his shoulders before pulling the blankets up over him, lightly tousling his hair. "It's late, Kid. You should try and get some sleep."

9S curled around 2B's pillow and clung to it, shaking his head. "No, I don't wanna... Every time I try to sleep, I lose her all over again..."

A2 sighed and rubbed his shoulder soothingly. "I know it hurts, but they're only dreams. They'll pass. You need your sleep to keep functioning properly."

"I know they're only dreams... but they still feel so real... like it's actually happening all over again... And they still hurt... I don't want to keep seeing her die..."

"Trust me, Kid, I get it. I understand completely. I've been there before myself. Hell, I still have bad nights once in awhile. You can't just not sleep, though. You need to take care of yourself okay? At least... At least do it for 2B if you won't do it for me or yourself... You know she'd want you to... Look, I'll stay here with you and wake you up if you start having another nightmare if you want me to, but you should at least try to rest. Lay here and conserve your energy for awhile, if nothing else."

9S curled tighter around the pillow he was hugging and nodded with a heavy, shaking sigh. "Okay... I'll try, I guess..."

The two Pods settled in on the bed next to him while A2 stretched across the foot of it, leaning against the wall. Pod 153 gently patted 9S's head and fluffed the pillow it was resting on. "Query: Does unit 9S wish to hear the recordings of unit 2B again?"

The scanner nodded quietly and gave her a grateful pat. "Y... Yeah... I think that'd help a bit... Thank you, Pod..."

"Affirmative." She settled back in next to him, resting next to Pod 042 against his back as she pulled the recordings of 2B's voice and Black Box up and started playing them.

9S buried his face into 2B's pillow and closed his eyes, letting the warmth from the Pods and the sounds of 2B's voice and Black Box relax him as he breathed in her scent. _'If I keep my eyes closed... it's... it's almost like she's actually here... Like she never left me...'_ Very slowly, he started to drift off into sleep mode.

A2 watched silently from the end of the bed as the scanner's breathing evened out and his body went limp. Once he'd fallen asleep, she relaxed against the wall with a quiet sigh. _'I wish you were here, 2B... He needs you... I don't know how to take care of him... I'm trying my best, but... Hell, I can barely take care of myself sometimes... Am I really the right person for this...?'_ She curled up and rested her arms and head on her knees as she fell into a light doze.

She was roused a few hours later by a twitch and soft whimper from 9S. She immediately shook off her grogginess and watched him carefully for any signs of distress. A grimace and another whimper was all it took. She lightly nudged his shoulder. "Hey, 9S. Wake up, Kid."

He stirred with another whimper, rubbing his eyes sleepily with a yawn. "Huh...?" He blinked up at her drowsily for a moment. "Oh... I was having another nightmare huh...? Sorry..."

"You apologize an awful lot, you know? Don't worry about it, Kid. I told you I'd wake you up if you had a nightmare didn't I? It's not a big deal."

9S nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess you did... I just... I just don't want to be a burden, ya know...?"

A2 patted his shoulder gently. "Trust me, you're not a burden. There's nothing wrong with needing help. We all need to be taken care of sometimes."

The scanner relaxed and gave her a small, grateful smile. "Thanks... For everything... I really do appreciate it..." He curled back up around the pillow and snuggled up against the Pods with a yawn.

A2 tugged the blankets back up over him from where he'd kicked them away. "Don't mention it, Kid. Go ahead and try to get some more sleep okay? It's still very early in the morning."

9S blinked and rubbed his eyes sleepily with a wide yawn as he nodded. "...'Kay..." He nuzzled into his pillows and slowly drifted back off to sleep.

A2 lightly brushed his bangs back from his forehead. "Sleep tight, 9S..." She curled up on the foot of the bed and let herself drift into sleep mode.

Both androids stirred a few hours later when sunlight streamed through the window and hit their faces. A2 rubbed her eyes and sat up while 9S stretched with a wide yawn. The Pods drifted into the air and greeted them with a cheery, simultaneous "Good morning!"

9S smiled and gave his Pod an affectionate pat. "Hey there, Pod. Good morning to you too." He sat up and rubbed his eyes sleepily.

A2 got up and slipped her boots on. "You ready to roll, Kid?" She slipped her sword onto her back.

"Huh? Ready to roll where?" The scanner blinked up at her curiously as he slipped his own boots on as well and grabbed 2B's sword, sheathing it on his back.

"Well if you're feeling up to it, I was thinking that it's probably about time we started looking into what happened back at Pascal's village."

9S nodded and tied his tactical visor on. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea, actually. Where should we start, though? The village?"

A2 gave a nod. "That would probably be the best place to start, yeah. Makes the most sense to me, anyways."

"Alright. I think the Amusement Park Ruins would be worth checking out too, though, now that I'm thinking about it. It's very close to the village so whatever happened could possibly have originated there, or at least passed through and left its mark, and maybe some information."

"Good call, Kid. We'll be sure to hit it too. Alright, let's gear up and head out then. We should make sure to grab some water and first aid supplies, just in case."

9S slipped his pack on over his shoulders and nodded. "Yeah, let's go see Devola and Popola then. C'mon, Pods."

The two androids and their Pods left the room and headed over to the twin healers, loading up on bottles of water, packs of staunching gel, vials of logic virus vaccine, and bandages which they stored in 9S's satchel. Devola raised an eyebrow as sh watched them. "And where are you off to then? You must have some big plans to need all of that."

A2 nodded. "It's mostly a precaution, but yeah, you could say that. We're heading off to start looking into what happened back at Pascal's village. We need to make sure that something like that doesn't happen again."

Popola wrung her hand worriedly. "That sounds like it could be very dangerous... You guys be careful out there okay?"

9S nodded and gave her a small, reassuring smile as he lightly patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, Popola. We'll be very careful."

With a parting wave, the pair left the camp and made their way towards the remnants of Pascal's village with their Pods trailing behind. Along the way, 9S pointed out various animals and plants that he found interesting, chattering about them happily while A2 listened. She gave the occasional nod or hum of acknowledgment to show that she was still listening as she kept tabs on their surroundings so they wouldn't be caught off-guard. While she wasn't used to having such a constant stream of chatter going, A2 found that she didn't mind it much. She actually found herself relaxing as the sound of his voice soothed her nerves and also served as a distraction from the unpleasant memories of her last experience in Pascal's village.

Both androids found themselves hesitating at the entrance to the village when they arrived, neither of them really feeling ready to face the aftermath of the massacre that had taken place when they were last there. Being the more adventurous of the two by nature, it was 9S who tentatively stepped forward first with A2 following close behind to help cover him in case of an attack. The scanner knelt next to some Machine corpses and pulled out a notebook and pencil from his pack, writing notes as he carefully studied the bodies. A2 stayed back a short distance and stood on guard, keeping her sword at the ready. She followed 9S around the village on a sort of macabre tour as he moved from body to body, studying them and writing more notes until he eventually stood and stretched. "I think I've gotten everything I can from here. Shall we move on to the Amusement Park Ruins?"

A2 nodded and started heading in that direction. "Yeah, let's get outta here. This place is giving me the creeps..."

9S followed her quickly. "Yeah, me too... Hey... Are you okay...?"

"Yeah, Kid, I'm fine... It's just... Well our last experience here wasn't exactly a pleasant one was it? Kinda casts a shadow over the place, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean... It really wasn't pleasant... But if you ever needed to talk about it... well... I was there too and all so I'd get it... Sometimes it helps to get things off your chest..."

A2 sighed and gave him a tiny smile. "Thanks, Kid, but I'd just as soon forget about it all. Still... You'll be the first to know if I ever change my mind about that."

They approached the Amusement Park cautiously, not sure what they'd find there. While the Machines there had been perfectly docile, even friendly, in the past, they both knew that that could have easily changed. Even that knowledge, though, wasn't enough to prepare them for what they encountered when they arrived inside the Park.

Machines that had been vibrant and full of energy before where now listless, wandering around as if in a daze. Friendly yellow eyes had turned an eerie red and were now accompanied by gaping mouths that also glowed red and were full of sharp, jagged teeth. 9S stared in horror, frozen for a brief moment, before he forced himself to shake it off and write more notes in his notebook.

A2 gaped in shock as she watched them mill about. "Wh... What the hell happened to them all...? I've never seen anything like this before those Machine went crazy in Pascal's village..."

9S shook his head as he worked. "I don't know... I've never seen anything like it before either. 2B told me about it once, though... I guess while I was recovering from being captured by Adam, the Resistance Camp was attacked by Machines that were kinda like this. She had to fend them off. The way she described them, though, matches this perfectly. The only real difference is that these particular Machines are more docile than the ones that attacked the Resistance Camp or Pascal's village... It's very strange..."

"So what should we do...?" She looked around warily, half expecting the Machines to turn and attack them any second.

9S glanced up at her and shrugged helplessly. "Well we can't really do much right now... I think we should just try to focus on gathering as much data as we can get for now. We can analyze it and try to figure this out later. Unfortunately, this isn't going to be solved in a day..."

A2 sighed, crossing her arms and tapping a foot restlessly. "I know... I just hate not knowing what the hell is going on... especially with something this dangerous..."

"Trust me, I get it. I feel the same way, I really do, but there's nothing we can do about it right now and stressing ourselves out over it isn't going to change that."

"Yeah... I know... I just can't help but feel like we should be doing something more... Ya know what I mean...?"

9S nodded and gave her shoulder a comforting pat. "Yeah, I do... And we're doing everything we can... C'mon, let's take a better look around. We might dig up something useful if we explore the place."

A2 patted his hand gratefully. "Okay, Kid. Let's go, but let's be careful about it. We don't know what might provoke these things..."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Let's keep it slow and quiet then, and let's not touch them. Just to be on the safe side."

They spent the next several hours wandering cautiously through the Amusement Park Ruins, gathering what information they could and recording it to study later on. It was only when the sun started to set that they decided to return to the Resistance Camp.

Anemone waved to them when she saw them. "Hey! Glad you both made it back safe. Devola and Popola told me what you were up to. Did you manage to find anything?"

9S shrugged. "Unfortunately, it's nothing we can make sense of right now. Maybe we'll be able to piece an explanation together after we study the data we collected, but there's nothing yet."

"Ah, I see. Well then let me know if you need any help and I'll see what I can do for you. Hopefully we can figure it out soon."

A2 nodded gratefully. "Thanks. We'll be sure to keep you posted. Come on, Kiddo. Let's start going over that data before we get some sleep." She waved to Anemone and headed towards 9S's room.

9S nodded and followed after her with a parting wave of his own. "Okay, A2. See ya later, Anemone!"

Anemone waved back to them with a light chuckle. "Alright, see ya! Good luck, you two!"

9S took his pack, boots, and visor off before sitting on his bed with a wide yawn. A2 pulled a chair up by the bed and shucked her own boots off, stretching as she relaxed. After they got comfortable, 9S grabbed his notebook and started reading through it. "Hey, Pod? Pull up the data you recorded from Pascal's village and the Amusement Park Ruins today, will you please?"

Pod 153 bobbed in the air, as if nodding, and pulled the information up, displaying it in a projection. "Affirmative."

9S smiled and gave her a fist-bump happily. "Thanks, Pod." He gently patted her hull and went back to reading.

A2 glanced up at Pod 042 and raised an eyebrow curiously. "Did you record any data from the village and Amusement Park today?"

Pod 042 bobbed in a nodding motion. "Affirmative. Shall I pull up and display that data for you?"

"Yeah, would you? Also, exchange data with 9S's Pod too so that we can be thorough when we're going over it all."

"Affirmative. Pulling up requested data. Pod 042 to Pod 153; Proposal: Exchange data collected from today's expedition."

"Pod 153 to Pod 042; Proposal accepted. Initiating data transfer." The two Pods exchanged data while displaying it for the two androids who studied it carefully.

They continued comparing notes for a few hours before A2 stretched with a yawn. "Well, I don't think we're gonna figure any of this out tonight, as much as I hate to say it... We should get some sleep and come back to this later with fresh eyes and processors."

9S yawned widely and rubbed his eyes as he nodded. "Yeah, I think you're right... Pods, you can cancel the data playback now. Thanks, guys."

Both Pods shut down their data feeds as Pod 153 ruffled 9S's hair affectionately. "Affirmative."

9S chuckled happily and crawled under the blankets, curling around 2B's pillow with a yawn as Pod 153 pulled the blankets up over his shoulders. A2 put the chair back and settled across the foot of his bed, stretching and yawning. "Sleep tight, Kid."

"Night, A2." He watched sleepily and smiled as Pod 042 grabbed a pillow and blankets and tucked 2B in more comfortably before settling in next to her. Pod 153 settled in against 9S's back and pulled up the recordings of 2B, playing them until 9S fell asleep.


	3. Old Friends

9S woke up early the next morning and stretched with a yawn. Pod 153 stirred as she felt him move, drifting up into the air in front of him to greet him. "Good morning, 9S."

The scanner smiled and gently patted her hull. "Hey there, Pod," he responded in a whisper as he sat up slowly, being careful not to disturb A2 who was still asleep. ' _She's had a rough couple of nights looking after me… I'm sure she could use the extra sleep. The least I can do to thank her is to keep from waking her up.'_ He carefully put his boots on before standing up slowly and putting his tactical visor and satchel on. "Let's go out for a bit, Pod." He left a note for A2 to let her know that he'd gone out for the day and would be back by dark so that she wouldn't worry before he left the room, stretching with a wide yawn once he was outside.

Waving to Anemone, he made his way towards the exit of the camp. On his way, he passed by Pascal and the children in the middle of a lesson and waved to them in greeting. Upon seeing him, the children all ran up to him happily and he paused to give them hugs, chuckling happily. "You guys be good for your Uncle Pascal and listen to what he has to teach you okay?" He gently ushered them back to their seats and gave them affectionate pats on their heads. "I'll play with you guys when I get back, I promise."

One of the little Machines peered up at him curiously with friendly, green eyes. "But where are you going, Uncle 9S?"

9S gave her a fond smile. "I'm just going out for a walk. I'll be back in a little while. It'll go by before you know it."

Pascal gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Be careful out there. There's still a lot of hostile Machines around."

9S nodded and patted his hand. "Probably a lot of infected YoRHa units left too. Don't worry, I'll be careful." He waved to them again and made his way out into the City Ruins with Pod 153 following close behind him. "So where should we go today, Pod?"

Pod 153 lifted her arms in a shrug. "Unknown. Query: Where does unit 9S wish to go today?"

9S chuckled and thought about the question for a moment. "Huh… I dunno… I hadn't really thought about that… Though… I guess we could go and visit old Masamune in the Forest Kingdom. It has been awhile."

With that decided, the pair set off towards the Forest Kingdom, traveling at a leisurely pace since they weren't in a hurry. They carefully skirted their way around the Machines that they came across, trying to avoid any skirmishes. Their pace brought them to the castle in the Forest Kingdom a couple hours after leaving the Resistance Camp.

As they picked their way through the ruins, 9S pulled up his map and led Pod 153 to Masamune's tucked away forge. The scanner pulled the giant block away from the entrance and slipped inside. "Hey, Masamune."

The gruff but kindly blacksmith Machine waved at him and set aside the blade he was working on. "Well, if it isn't 9S. Hello there. It's been awhile."

9S chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, it has been awhile huh? How've you been?"

Masamune chuckled warmly. "I've been well. And how about yourself? You seem a little worse-for-the-wear, My Friend, if you don't mind my saying so."

9S chewed on his lip. "Yeah… I suppose I am… I'm just going through a hard time right now is all…"

It was when 9S shifted his stance that Masamune noticed 2B's sword on his back. Masamune's eyes and voice softened with sympathy at the implication. "I see you carry your partner's blade… She wouldn't have left it or you lightly… She's gone from us then...?"

9S nodded shakily. "Yeah… She was infected with a logic virus…" He pulled the blade from its sheath and cradled it reverently in his hands. "A2… She said that 2B left her memories in her sword somehow…"

Masamune nodded thoughtfully. "Yes… I have heard of such a practice… It's not incredibly common, but I have read a little about it."

The scanner perked up a little bit at hearing that news. "Would you happen to know how I could access those memories, by any chance?"

The Machine scratched idly at his cheek as he tried to remember. "Hmm… I think I may have read something of that nature… If I recall correctly… it said that 'to unlock the memories stored within an object, one must meditate upon the object they're stored in'."

9S frowned thoughtfully as he mulled the odd statement over. "Hmm… 'Meditate upon the object' huh..? Do you think they could mean Hacking into it?"

"I suppose that is possible… That probably would seem the same as meditating to someone who was unfamiliar with Hacking. I believe I've also read that only some were able to meditate with enough focus to unlock the memories. That could indicate that only those with the ability to Hack could see them. I would say try it. You have nothing to lose. If it doesn't work then we'll just keep trying to figure it out."

9S smiled gratefully and put the sword back into its sheath. "Thanks, Masamune. I'll try it tonight, then I'll come back and let you know how it goes."

Masamune nodded. "Alright then. Did you need any of your weapons tended to while you're here?"

"I think they're in good shape for now, but thank you. You'll be the first to know once they do need fixing up. I just came by o catch up since it's been so long. I thought you might get kinda lonely in here."

"While I usually do enjoy the solitude, I do get lonely at times, and it's always good to see a friendly face. You're welcome here anytime." Masamune's eyes furrowed in concern. "How have you been faring…? I'm sure things have been very difficult for you…"

9S sat on a seat offered by the blacksmith and sighed shakily. "Honestly…? It's… It's been hell… Complete and utter hell… But... I have people looking out for me so… I just take things one day at a time…"

Masamune sat in another seat next to him and nodded. "I suppose that's all that can be expected under the circumstances. I think you're holding up quite admirably."

"Heh… Thanks… It sure doesn't feel like I am, but thanks… I feel like I'm just barely holding myself together..."

"I think that's pretty common when dealing with situations like this. But I hear that it gets to be more bearable with time."

9S curled up with a heavy, shuddering sigh. "Hey, Masamune…? Do… Do you think we have souls…?Do you think there's an afterlife for us…? Will… Will I get to see 2B again…?"

Masamune reached over and gently patted his shoulder. "Yes, My Friend. I believe that all sentient beings have a soul, regardless of where their sentience comes from. If that's the case, then it only makes sense to me that those souls go somewhere when they leave our bodies. I'm sure you'll be with your partner again someday. I bet she'll be there waiting to greet you when your own time comes, ready to guide you into whatever afterlife exists for us." His eyes crinkled in what was as close to a smile as he could get as he squeezed the android's shoulder comfortingly.

9S laid a hand over his and squeezed it in return gratefully. "Thanks… Hearing that helps…"

"I just wish there was more that I could do…" He thought for a moment. "Hmm… Perhaps there is something… Was there something she was particularly fond of? A favorite animal or flower perhaps?"

The scanner tilted his head as he thought about it. "Well… I know she'd never admit to it… But I think she liked deer a lot… And she really seemed to love Lunar Tears… But why do you ask, though?"

Masamune chuckled. "You'll see soon, Little Friend. It's a surprise. I should be able to have it ready in about a week."

9S gave him a small, grateful smile. "Thanks… I really appreciate it… I really appreciate everything…" He hugged the blacksmith gratefully.

Masamune blinked in surprise before slowly wrapping his arms around the android to return the hug, lightly patting his back. "You're very welcome, My Friend."

9S patted his back in return before breaking the hug gently. "Guess I should let you get back to work huh? I need to start heading back to camp myself. I said I'd be back by dark and I don't really feel like rushing on my way back."

Masamune crinkled his eyes in a smile. "Very well then. You take good care of yourself and come visit again soon."

The scanner sood and stretched with a chuckle. "I will. I promise. After all, I'm going to need to let you know how the sword Hacking goes. In fact, I'll probably be stopping by again tomorrow."

The blacksmith nodded in approval. "Very good. I'll see you tomorrow then. Have a good night and a safe trip home, Friend."

9S smiled and waved. "You have a good night too. See you tomorrow." He slipped out of the forge and moved the giant block outside so that he could jump onto it and jump onto the ledge above him.

As he picked his way back through the castle, he spotted a familiar figure with short black hair. He paused in surprise for a moment before stepping towards him. "4S…?"

The black-haired android turned to face him, gaping in shock briefly before grinning widely. "9S! That you?! How the hell have you been, Man?!"

9S gave a grin back at him. "I'm hanging in there. How've you been? It's been way too long."

4S laughed and flung himself at his fellow scanner, engulfing him in an enthusiastic hug. "I've been great! Sure is good to see a friendly face again, though." He frowned slightly as his brow furrowed. "Hey… Is it true that the Bunker fell…? Is YoRHa really gone…?"

The silver-haired scanner nodded quietly. "Yeah… It's all gone… The Bunker… YoRHa… 2B… All gone… They're all gone…"

4S jolted in shock. "What?! 2B too?! Dang… I'm so so sorry, Dude… I can't imagine what that's like… I can't begin to imagine…"

"It's… It's hell… Complete hell… But I'm trying my best to hang in there… I'm trying but…"

"But it's not that easy, though, is it? I know how close you two were… I think everyone knew… It wasn't hard to see really…"

"It's… It's not that easy… I…" 9S rubbed his face with a hand and sighed heavily, his breath shaking a little. "Honestly…? I'm just… I'm… I'm just... so tired… All I want is to be with her again… It's all I can think about… I'm so ready… so tempted to just… end it… The only thing really stopping me is that I know she wouldn't want that… She'd throw a fit if I just gave up.."

4S gave a soft, wry chuckle and nodded. "Yeah, she sure would. You'd never hear the end of it."

9S snickered quietly and wiped his eyes under his visor. "Yeah… I really wouldn't… I don't think she'd ever forgive me. She could have quite the temper sometimes..."

4S patted his shoulder. "Yeah, she could…" He frowned thoughtfully. "Hey… Where have you been staying now that the Bunker's gone…? Do you have someplace?"

"Yeah, I do. I've been staying at the Resistance Camp with A2. Pascal's move there too with the children from his village."

"Huh? A2? Isn't she one the defectors that the Commander sent you and 2B after? She's the one you ran into in the Forest Kingdom right?"

9S nodded. "Yeah, that's her. Turns out she had a good reason for defecting from YoRHa, though… This… This isn't going to be easy to hear, but… YoRHa was… They… They were lying to us… to all of us… about everything…"

4S stared at him in shock, eyes wide beneath his tactical visor. "Wha… What do you mean…? Lying to us about what…?"

"About everything… This whole war we've been fighting? There's been no point to it… Ever… We've been fighting for no reason this whole time… There's never been a reason… Humans are gone… There's no one to reclaim Earth for…"

"Wait… Gone…? You mean like… extinct…? Humans are extinct…? They've been extinct this whole time..?"

"Yeah… That's… I guess that's why I was paired up with 2B in the first place… YoRHa knew I'd find that out eventually, and… 2B's job was to… was to kill me whenever I did so that my memories could be wiped… Her real name was 2E… 2B was just her cover designation…"

"Whoa… Seriously…? Dang… That's a lot to take in… So then… those androids you and 2B were sent after…?"

9S shrugged with a sigh. "Probably als found out the truth and defected… I've never been able to find out for sure…" He looked the other scanner over curiously. "Say… Do you have anywhere to stay now? If not, you should come back to the Resistance Camp and stay there with us."

4S thought about the offer for a moment before he nodded. "Yeah, alright. That's probably a good idea, actually. We should probably go while we have some daylight left huh?"

9S nodded in agreement as they started towards the castle entrance. "Good idea. I told A2 that I'd be back by dark and I don't want her to worry too much. She probably already is… She was asleep when I got up and left this morning so I just left a note for her. I didn't wanna wake her up."

The black-haired boy chuckled. "Yeah, better get back then." He stretched his arms and back as they walked. "So what brought you out this way? Were you looking for something?"

"Nah. I just felt like getting out and stretching my legs this morning, and then I realized that I hadn't seen Masamune in awhile so I thought I'd come out and visit him. I was just on my way back from seeing him when I bumped into you."

"Masamune…? Huh… That name doesn't sound familiar at all… I don't think I know him. I'm guessing he's a friend of yours, though, if you were visiting him."

"Yeah, he is. He's a Machine that owns a forge in the castle. He's kinda gruff sometimes, but he's also very friendly and very wise."

4S nudged his shoulder lightly with his own and chuckled. "Who'da thought that androids would make friends with Machines eh? You should introduce me."

9S nudged him back playfully and laughed. "Sure, Man. I'm coming back to see him tomorrow so you can just come with me."

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan to me. I was gonna come back to poke around some more anyways so it'd kill two birds with one stone, so to speak."

"Is that why you were here today then? You were exploring the place?"

"Yeah. You of all people should know how curious us scanner models get, and I'd never really been in this area before so I wanted to check it out while I had a chance to. Plus, I'd heard about some really weird, freaky Machines and I wanted to look into it. Nothing matches the description here, though..."

9S paused, taken aback slightly. "Wait… Freaky Machines…? What do they look like? What was the description?"

"Well… I guess the glowing red eyes are pretty normal… But the mouths are definitely weird. Word is: they have mouths that glow red like their eyes and are full of sharp, jagged teeth. Supposedly they eat their victims too..." He glanced back at 9S who'd frozen in shock, trembling slightly. "You okay, Dude? Maybe I shoulda left that last bit out… Sorry…"

9S shook his head quickly. "No, it's fine… It wasn't that… It's just… That sounds exactly like the Machines that attacked Pascal's village… and the Resistance Camp before that… A2 and I were looking into them as well…"

4S tilted his head curiously. "You are huh? Well I'll be… What're the odds eh? Have you managed to find anything out?"

"Not so far. We did find a bunch in the Amusement Park Ruins, but those Machines are docile, for some reason… We aren't too sure why, but I can't help but wonder if it's because they were peaceful to begin with… Though that wouldn't account for what happened at Pascal's village so… Probably not..."

"Still worth looking into, I'd say. We'll have to investigate further. Maybe I could look at the intel you have on them later?"

9S nodded happily. "Yeah, sure. We could use some extra help with this. We're trying to figure out what caused it so that we can stop it."

4S clapped a hand on his shoulder fondly. "Well, count me in. Us scanners have to stick together, after all. We're practically brothers."

9S smiled and walked with him contently. "Brothers huh…? I like the sound of that… I could use a brother." He grinned and bumped shoulders with the other scanner affectionately.

4S laughed and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Then brothers it is." 9S laughed with him and wrapped an arm around him in return before wrapping his other arm around his Pod affectionately. The two scanners walked in companionable silence as the Pod drifted alongside them contently.

They arrived back at the camp just as the sun was starting to set and were quickly surrounded by the Machine children who swarmed around them, hopping happily as they cheered. "Uncle 9S! Uncle 9S! Can we play now?"

9S chuckled fondly and patted their heads affectionately. "Of course. I did promise, after all. Just let me get 4S here settled in first. It shouldn't take long."

One of the little Machines gazed up at 4S curiously. "Is he a friend? Can he play too?"

4S blinked in surprise for a moment before chuckling. "Yeah, I'm a friend. I'd be happy to play. I just need to talk to the camp leader first okay? I'll be right back."

The children cheered happily and moved to let them through, a few of them following curiously as the two scanners walked over to Anemone who greeted them with a wave. "Hey, 9S. Who's this then? Friend of yours?"

9S nodded happily. "Yeah, this is my old friend 4S. 4S, this is Anemone, the leader of the Resistance Camp here."

Anemone smiled warmly and offered her hand, which 4S shook politely. "Well then, welcome to the Resistance Camp, 4S. Any friend of 9S here is a friend of mine.

4S nodded. "Yeah, I'd like to, if that's alright. I don't want to impose, though."

"Not at all. You're more than welcome here. We all need to help each other if we're going to survive, after all. Are you alright with staying with 9S and A2 in their room? I can see about getting you an extra bed in there if you need it, or I can see about getting you your own space. Of course, you don't have to decide right now if you need some time to think about it."

"Yeah, I think I'll talk it over with them first and get back to you once we make a decision. Thank you."

"Not a problem at all. Please let me know if you need anything. I'm always available."

"I sure will. Thanks again for everything. Hey, 9S, do you think we should go let A2 know you're back?"

9S nodded. "Yeah, we probably should so that she doesn't worry. Thanks for everything, Anemone."

Anemone smiled at them. "Not a problem. Like I said, we need to stick together, especially nowadays."

The scanners left with a parting wave and headed to the room 9S and A2 were staying in. A2 glanced up as they entered. "Oh, 9S! Glad you made it back safe. Who's your friend?"

9S grinned. "Hey, A2. This is an old friend of mine, 4S. 4S, this is A2." He watched them shake hands as he idly gave Pod 153 an affectionate pat. "We're still trying to decide where he's gonna stay. Would you be alright with him staying in here with us?"

A2 shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, that's fine with me. What're we doing about sleeping arrangements? I've just been sleeping at the foot of 9S's bed so the other bed's free if you want it."

4S thought about it for a moment. "Well… You're the lady here, so it only seems right that you get the free bed to yourself if you want. I don't mind bunking with 9S if he doesn't mind it."

9S shook his head with a shrug. "Nah, I don't mind. Is that alright with you, A2?"

A2 nodded. "Yeah, that's fine by me. So what've you both been up to all day? I hope you stayed out of trouble. I can see you're still in one piece, at least."

9S chuckled as he nodded in response. "Yeah, we behaved ourselves. I went out for a walk this morning, like I said in my note, and ended up visiting my friend Masamune in the Forest Kingdom. I ran into 4S there on my way back.

A2 frowned thoughtfully. "Masamune huh…? That name sounds vaguely familiar…" She thought about it for a few moments before perking up with recognition. "Wait! You said he lives in the Forest Kingdom… Is he the blacksmith that lives there? He has a forge in that castle right?"

9S nodded happily with a grin. "Yep, that's him! 2B and I met him awhile ago. I was the first time we'd ever been there, actually. We'd gone there to check it out not long after Pascal had told us about it. We bumped into Masamune while we were poking around in the castle."

A2 listened curiously. "That was when I first ran into you two right? With the Forest King and all that?"

9S nodded. "Yeah. You'd said that Command were the ones that betrayed us… I understand what you meant by that now…"

4S listened to the story, completely absorbed in it. "Whoa… So you two have some history then huh?"

A2 chuckled as she reclined back in her seat. "I guess a little bit. It was really only that one brief run-in until… well… recently… I'd kinda been playing the hermit and keeping a low profile for pretty obvious reasons."

4S nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah… I guess that makes sense. You were probably pretty high on YoRHa's hit-list."

9S nodded in agreement. "I think she was… And I was would've done the same thing myself if I'd been in her position." He grinned and bounced on the balls of his feet happily. "Hey, 4S and I were gonna go play with the kids for a little while. You wanna join us?"

A2 rolled her eyes but couldn't keep the smile off of her face. "Oh alright. They'll probably just come and drag me out there anyways if I don't."

The three androids and two Pods left their room and headed over to the children who immediately swarmed around them, cheering happily. The group played tag and hide-and-seek for the next few hours until Pascal came and herded the children off to bed. 9S, 4S, and A2 all said their goodnights to Pascal and gave the kids hugs goodnight before they were shepherded off to their beds.

Watching them leave, 9S suddenly yawned widely and stretched. 4S chuckled amusedly as he nodded. "Yep, I agree with that sentiment. Looks like Pascal had the right idea huh?"

9S snickered with a sleepy grin. "Yeah. I dunno about you guys, but for me, it's been a long day, and I'm beat."

A2 shook her head amusedly and headed back to their room. "Let's go get some rest then."

The two scanners and the Pods followed her back to the room where all three androids immediately set about getting ready for bed. Once they were all comfortable, A2 grabbed a spare pillow and crawled into the second bed while 9S curled around 2B's pillow in his bed. 4S settled across the foot of 9S's bed with another extra pillow contently.

"G'night, Runts", A2 mumbled with a yawn as she settled into her bed and started allowing herself to relax.

Both scanners chuckled. "Night, A2!", 9S replied happily. He gave Pod 153 a gentle pat as she settled in next to him.

"Yeah, and don't let the bed bugs bite", 4S said with a chuckle as he settled in contently.

A2 rolled her eyes and started dozing sleepily as Pod 042 settled in against her side. "Better not be any bugs in this bed…"

"Negative. This unit would have detected them", Pod 042 chirped cheerily, helpful as always.

9S and 4S burst out laughing while A2 just rolled her eyes again. "Gee, thanks… You better be right…", she muttered which prompted another round of laughter.

4S and A2 eventually drifted into sleep mode while Pod 153 quietly played recordings of 2B for 9S who was still lying awake. 9S listened to 2B's voice and closed his eyes, letting himself pretend for a moment that she was really there with him as he slowly relaxed and started drifting off to sleep.


End file.
